Welcome To The Data Leak Lawyers Blog
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
We focus on the latest news surrounding data breaches, leaks and hacks plus daily internet security articles.
For businesses with expanding opportunities and responsibilities, it often becomes necessary to hire external providers and suppliers to ensure the efficiency of company operations. Data leaks from outsourcing can unfortunately occur when these external providers lapse in protecting the information held by the company they work with.
However, when a data leak does arise, it is not acceptable for the affected company to simply shift the blame onto an external supplier or provider. Ultimately, the responsibility to protect the information of customers, members and employees falls on the organisation itself as a result of the legal duties that they must adhere to. Even in cases where an external provider caused the leak, the victims can still be eligible to claim compensation either way.
A constable at Derbyshire Police has recently faced a misconduct hearing over allegations of unlawfully accessing records of a police incident and then sharing a photo of the file with colleagues.
Although the officer’s actions contravened policing standards and data protection law, he has escaped dismissal and will be allowed to continue serving at Derbyshire Police.
Regardless of the verdict of the hearing, a breach such as this should never have occurred at all. Testaments to the officer’s reportedly “excellent” work as an officer do not erase his culpability for what has been regarded as an incredibly reckless action. As an organisation with access to extensive personal data, the police service has a vital duty to be rigorous in data protection and we should all feel safe that our information with them is secure. Our trust in the police should never be abused.
Following a two-year investigation into credit reference agencies, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has taken enforcement action against Experian. It was ruled that the company must make “fundamental changes to how it handles people’s personal data”, according to the ICO.
The investigation examined three credit agencies, of which Experian is the only one to reportedly face punitive action for data handling they carry out for direct marketing purposes.
Experian is understood to have taken some steps towards improving their data handling, but it was not enough to satisfy the ICO that data protection law was being adhered to. It is reassuring to know that Experian must make changes, and demonstrates to other companies that any sidestepping of the GDPR will not be tolerated by regulators.
If you are ever affected by a data breach or cybersecurity incident caused by a third-party organisation whom you entrusted your information to, it is important that you know what your rights are in the fallout of such an incident. It may feel difficult to stand up to a huge company or local authority, but if a third party has failed to protect personal data, they should be held responsible for their reckless attitude to data protection.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we have been fighting for the rights of data breach victims for many years, aiming to bring justice for the damage that victims have suffered from. Organisations must stand up and take their data protection duties seriously. If they fail to do so, they should be punished as they would be under other areas of the law.
In the case of cyberattacks, many organisations follow appropriate reporting procedures, such as notifying the Information Commissioner’s Office of the breach. There is also the need for alerting affected customers, members, or employees of their involvement in a data security incident too. However, many firms may be ignoring cyberattacks and their after-effects, putting those affected in an unacceptable degree of danger, sometimes to preserve their own interests.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – as a leading data breach claims firm, we believe cyberattacks are like any other crime and should be reported and dealt with accordingly. Unfortunately, too many organisations view cybersecurity and data protections as luxury additions to their operations, disregarding the dangers they are putting people in.
If you have been affected by a data breach and believe the responsible party is not taking it seriously enough, you may be entitled to claim compensation. It is bad enough to have your data exposed, but to witness dangerous inaction from the organisation involved can only add insult to injury.
Although data breach claims are becoming an increasingly established and important area of legal expertise, trusted data breach lawyers can still be few and far between.
There are some inexperienced firms trying to capitalise on the trend of data breach cases, claiming to have expertise that they do not possess. This is something to watch out for, and it is disappointing to see so many inexperienced companies and disreputable scammers taking advantage of claimants for gain.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we have a long-established reputation for handling data breach cases. We are currently sitting on the Steering Committee responsible for conducting the first GDPR group action case in the UK, against British Airways. We have been fighting for the rights of data breach victims as far back 2014, which is a great deal longer than most other firms.
The Surveillance Camera Commissioner, Tony Porter, has recently spoken of his concerns regarding the technology used by local councils and the police to monitor public movements.
As the government watchdog designed to ensure government compliance with the surveillance camera code of practice, it is worrying that the commissioner believes the restrictions on local authorities may not be sufficient.
In particular, Mr Porter reportedly warned that the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras is unregulated by central government, likening their usage to MI5 tracking. In fact, the security services are subject to much tighter restrictions, while the level of surveillance led by councils and the police appears to be going under the radar.
At Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we always advocate for personal privacy, so it is worrying that the government may be unnecessarily storing data and information pertaining to members of the public.
A recent fault in the Airbnb website has provoked worries among property hosts, who noticed a login failure that reportedly directed users to the message inboxes of other hosts. The Airbnb data glitch appears to have only been brought to the attention of the company by their users, who discussed the issue on a Reddit forum.
A popular accommodation rental marketplace for holidaymakers, Airbnb downplayed the glitch, and the amount of affected hosts was not immediately confirmed. But such a glitch is concerning as it can expose private and personal information. This can raise fair questions over the security of the company’s systems and its adherence to data protection regulations.
While Airbnb said that the glitch was a small-scale, stand-alone incident, at Your Lawyers – The Data Leak Lawyers – we know that even seemingly elementary errors can be disastrous. If an organisation ever fails to sufficiently protect your data, they may have breached the GDPR, and you could be entitled to claim compensation.
A big Newcastle City Council data leak occurred three years ago after the personal data of thousands of children and their adoptive parents was sent out in an accidental email attachment.
The email concerned a party invitation sent out to 77 people for the council’s adoption summer party, with the inclusion of an internal spreadsheet that should never have been seen by unauthorised eyes.
In a reason that has become all too common in recent council data leaks, human error was blamed for the incident. Indeed, as this explanation recurs and recurs, it raises questions about how much progress has been made in local government data protection. Further, in today’s turbulent times of coronavirus leading to us all having to adapt to a more remote way of working and living, what else needs to be done to rectify these issues.
Many people unfortunately fell victim to identity fraud in 2020. It was another year that has been plagued by data breaches, leaks and hacks, with an increase that was widely attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
With public awareness of identity fraud also on the rise, many consumers are increasingly concerned about their online security; and with good reason. At the Data Leak Lawyers, as a leading firm of data compensation experts, we see businesses failing to protect their customers’ data time and time again. The sheer quantity of data breaches in 2020 means that we have launched several new actions over the past year.
EasyJet admits data of nine million hacked
British Airways data breach: How to claim up to £6,000 compensation
Are you owed £5,000 for the Virgin Media data breach?
Virgin Media faces £4.5 BILLION in compensation payouts
BA customers given final deadline to claim compensation for data breach
Shoppers slam Morrisons after loyalty points stolen
Half a million customers can sue BA over huge data breach
Lawyers accuse BA of 'swerving responsibility' for data breach
The biggest data breaches of 2020
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